Charlotte McGing

🚨 Keir Starmer is refusing to budge on the UK's plans for an independent football regulator in the face of threats from UEFA to expel England from Euro 2028. ⚖️The proposed regulator aims to protect the integrity of domestic football (particularly around issues such as financial sustainability, governance and club ownership) but UEFA sees potential conflict with its rules against political interference. Read more in the article below. #Football #Euro2028 #SportsLaw #FootballRegulator #UEFA #Governance #SportsBusiness

20

Roll-up, roll-up, get your "The Invincibles" branded cash registers here..... Jens Lehman and the rest of Arsenal's 2003/4 "Invincibles" team have bought a UK TM for the mark THE INVINCIBLES: https://lnkd.in/e2E5ywm4. They plan to exploit it to generate an income for the squad (and staff). Some of what the mark covers makes sense, for example clothing, downloadable videos, downloadable virtual goods etc. I'm not sure the world needs "The Invincibles" cash registers though. Particularly, given how tight The Invincibles back 5 were... not getting much change out of those cash registers..... https://lnkd.in/exZkRen6

11

COMPETITION TIME 🎁🎉 Lawyers don't just win cases - sometimes they win a t-shirt too 😉⚖️ Enter here: https://lnkd.in/eQekpTk8 We will deliver the “verdict” to the successful “applicant” on the 30th of August 2024. The Law of Laughing Team #lawyer #legal #law #legalteam #attorney #lawfirm #win #inhousecounsel #giveawayalert #lawstudents

2

England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirms advisory team to seek private investment into teams in The Hundred Read the full article: Link is in comments below The Raine Group Deloitte Latham & Watkins Onside Law Vikram B. #cricket #cricketnews #sportsnews #ECB #EnglandCricket #TheHundred

12

1 Comment

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧... The arbitration ruling regarding Manchester City's challenge to the Premier League's Associated Party Transaction (APT) rules has led to both sides claiming victory. Manchester City, represented by Freshfields, sought to have the APT rules declared unlawful, alleging they breached competition and public law by unfairly regulating transactions between clubs and companies linked to their owners. The Premier League, defended by Slaughter and May, maintained that the APT rules were essential for maintaining financial fairness within the league. The tribunal ruled in favor of Manchester City on a few technical points but upheld the overall integrity of the APT rules. City succeeded in having the tribunal declare some specific rules changes, particularly around shareholder loans and market value tests, as non-compliant with competition law. However, the tribunal rejected the broader argument that the APT rules were fundamentally unlawful. As a result, City’s attempt to weaken financial fair play controls in their entirety was largely unsuccessful, although the ruling does ease some restrictions for clubs with wealthy owners on shareholder loans and comparable transaction data. More and more, we're seeing law firms involved in sports whether that's large scale arbitrations like this, private equity and M&A (as I mentioned in my post earlier this week), as well as all the practice areas that intertwined with handling transactional or contentious matters across the industry of sport. If you're looking for firms that has delve into these areas with more regularity, and want exposure to certain industries, then I'd be happy to discuss which firms could suit your next venture.... ✉ [email protected] 📲 +44 20 3836 9082

4

We are delighted to announce that four of our Partners have been recognised in the Best Lawyers in the United Kingdom Guide 2025. Both Jonathan Blair and James Harman have been recognised in the ‘Media and Entertainment Law’ category, whilst Deborah Jeff has been recognised in the ‘Family Law’ category and Jim Dennis has been recognised in the ‘Intellectual Property Law’ category. Follow the link below to learn more and see the full rankings. #BestLawyersGuide2025 #MediaLaw #EntertainmentLaw #IntellectualProperty #FamilyLaw

56

6 Comments

JCT 2024 is here! My colleagues Simon Stubbs and Ffion Davies have summarised the key changes in their article

3

For the first time in 10 years, HMLR have, from today, increased their fees - some are more than double if not treble what they were before. So, what can we expect?? PROS: ✔️ A (theoretical) boost in resources to tackle the infamous backlog ✔️ Faster processing times? Fingers crossed 🤞🏼 ✔️ More funding for modernisation, perhaps? CONS: ❌ Higher costs for Clients and Firms (post comp) ❌ Zero guarantee the service will actually improve ❌ Conveyancers now have to have ‘that’ conversation with clients to explain why (thanks Land Reg) Let’s also not forget about the timing - December, when we’re already battling chains, out of office replies and Elf on the Shelf schedules. Merry Christmas from the Land Registry 🙄 In all seriousness, while these increased fees may bring much needed improvements (an under statement), they also add extra pressure to an already stretched process!! So - What do we think? Will it be worth it or will we all just be paying more for the same wait times?! #conveyancing #propertylaw #residentialproperty #solicitor #propertylawyer #december #landregistry #fees #ifyouknowyouknow #legalfees

121

23 Comments

The sports industry faces significant opportunities arising from to the vast amounts of data being collected and monetised. It does raise regulatory and commercial issues regarding athlete consent, collection of live data for betting and the application of GDPR where the data is personal data. #SportsData #GDPR #AthleteConsent #DataProtection

20

The House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee report considers remuneration challenges faced by creative industries and recommends the Government to leverage previous research & reviews as well as tangible results in the next 12 months... Report considers that key obstacles include: ⚖ dominance of streaming platforms and resulting lack of bargaining power 💲 lack of royalties for private copying of copyright works, uncompensated use of works by tech (AI) developers, and poor pay and conditions (especially in the freelance space) Report recommends that the Government: 📜 Introduces (within 12 months) a private copying scheme safeguarding reciprocal payments from abroad into the CDPA 1988 so that copyright holders are remunerated for copy downloads for personal use 🤝 Regulate use of copyright works by AI developers, requiring creators' consent to such use and compensation for it, and announce a deadline for voluntary agreement, after which it should proceed to legislate. 📣 Appoint a freelancers' commissioner to advocate for freelancers in the creative sector 🎵 Measures to reform the music streaming industry to make it fairer to musicians and consult with stakeholders to ensure that the revenue split between recording and publishing rights (currently 55% and 15% respectively) better reflects the importance of songwriters, composers and publishers in the music streaming process

15

Despite a bumper 19% jump in revenue last year, Osborne Clarke has handed its London NQs a stingy 2.7% pay rise. The extra £2.5k moves them to £94k, says Law360. Miles off Taylor Wessing’s 15% hike earlier this month. Withersworldwide Advocates for Olympic Boxer Imane Khelif: In the often deal-centric world of corporate law, a team from Withers has been making headlines for their pro bono work with Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, according to Legal Business. Khelif gained international attention when her Olympic bout against Italy’s Angela Carini ended in just 46 seconds, igniting a public debate about gender and eligibility in women’s boxing. Despite the controversy, Khelif went on to win the gold medal in Paris. Libby Payne, a London-based employment partner at Withers, is part of the team representing Khelif. Payne revealed to Legal Business that their involvement began after Khelif was disqualified from the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in 2023. Payne emphasised that, at the time, “there were no rules about gender in qualification or eligibility criteria.” Regarding the media frenzy during the Olympics, Payne highlighted a key misunderstanding: the difference between an individual whose gender or sex has been questioned due to chromosomal or hormonal differences, and someone who is transgender. She noted that while both issues are complex, they are distinct from each other. When asked about the experience of representing such a high-profile client, Payne remarked, “I don’t think I’ve had a client who’s received the same amount of sustained media coverage as Imane.” Corporate Deals Roundup: Macfarlanes has advised on the sale of mobile network provider Lebara to European buyout house Waterland Private Equity. Waterland is acquiring Lebara, which serves over 4 million customers across Europe, from its current private equity owners, Alchemy and Triton Partners. A&O Shearman acted for Netherlands-based Waterland in this transaction. Linklaters and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP are representing US air conditioning giant Carrier Global in the sale of part of its business to an affiliate of private equity firm Lone Star Funds in a $3 billion deal. Kirkland & Ellis is advising Lone Star, as reported by Law.com. Carrier Global has been a frequent client for Linklaters, with this transaction marking the fourth deal in the last 18 months as part of a significant “portfolio transformation.” Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has advised long-time client CK Infrastructure Holdings (CKI) on its secondary listing on the London Stock Exchange, handling the Hong Kong law aspects of the listing. Latham & Watkins is providing US legal advice. Simultaneously, a consortium led by CKI has agreed to purchase 32 onshore wind farms in the UK from Aviva for £350 million. Ashurst’s London corporate team advised the consortium on the transaction. CC: Non-Billable

It's once again time for my favourite event of the year - 🎉 the Bird & Bird MediaWrites Party 🎉! And this year, I am very excited to be moderating a panel on The Future of Advertising with industry leaders from Warner Bros. Discovery, Mindshare and Trainline 🧠✨. Some of the big topics for me, and which I will be challenging our panelists to consider: 📌 What do changing consumer habits in the TV and entertainment space mean for advertisers? 📺 📱 📌 How can publishers monetise new forms of ad inventory in creative ways - such as in-game 🎮 via audio content such as podcasts 🗣 or in a metaverse 🤖 📌 Have we reached peak influencer marketing? 📌 What do AI assistants and chatbots mean for the future of search advertising and retail media? These topics will be relevant for anyone involved in the media, entertainment or sports industries - even if advertising is not your day to day. Follow the link in the post below to register your interest. Looking forward to seeing you there! #FutureOfAdvertising #MediaLaw #SportsLaw #AdTech #DigitalTrends Bird & Bird Media, Entertainment & Sport

11

1 Comment

Hear from Siobhan Handley of Orrick about the positive impact we've had on their company and how we’re transforming the legal talent pipeline. Learn more about our partnerships here: https://lnkd.in/eSBnGWWi #LegalInnovators #LawFirmPartners #LegalTalent #InnovativeHiring

10

1 Comment

The name Erkut Sogut is little known by football fans, but within the boardrooms of some of the world’s most famous clubs he’s held in awe, writes David Little Corporate & Commercial Partner and Sports Law expert. https://lnkd.in/edx58Gwd #SportsLaw #SportsNews

2

Great to feature in The Telegraph where I analyse the recent Premier League decision concerning APT rules and look at what the future might hold for various parties involved ⚽ 🔎 Read the article here > https://lnkd.in/gT6vHnEt ⚖️ Find out more about Osborne Clarke specialist Sports Law practice here > https://lnkd.in/e9Ekwe7q #PremierLeague #CompetitionLaw #SportsLaw #LegalInsights Osborne Clarke - UK

85

1 Comment

PSR Compliance: The Financial Tightrope in the Premier League Circus 💰 Todd Boehly’s sale of two hotels to a sister company within Chelsea FC’s ownership structure is a prime example of how clubs are tackling the challenges posed by the English Premier League’s (EPL) "Profit and Sustainability Rules" (PSR). Under EPL scrutiny, Boehly’s hotel sale was conducted at fair market value, allowing Chelsea to comply with PSR by injecting crucial capital into the club. The transaction highlights the importance of Associated Party Transactions (APT), a key regulatory focus aimed at preventing owners from inflating club revenues or hiding losses through internal deals. The PSR Rules require clubs to operate within strict financial limits, capping losses at £105 million over a 3-year rolling period (£5m/year from commercial revenues and £30m/year from owner funding). However, Chelsea wasn’t the only club adjusting its financial course. Aston Villa, Everton, Newcastle United, and Nottingham Forest also faced PSR challenges and engaged in a series of player transfers right before the deadline. These transfers, such as Omari Kellyman’s £19m move to Chelsea (despite a £1m market value) and Ian Maatsen’s £37.5m switch to Villa (market value £40m), displayed significant disparities between transfer fees and player valuations: Omari Kellyman (Aston Villa to Chelsea) – £19m (market value £1m) Ian Maatsen (Chelsea to Aston Villa) – £37.5m (market value £40m) Lewis Dobbin (Everton to Aston Villa) – £10m (market value £2.5m) Tim Iroegbunam (Aston Villa to Everton) – £10.7m (market value £4m) Elliot Anderson (Newcastle to Nottingham Forest) – £35m (market value £15m) Vlachodimos (Nottingham Forest to Newcastle) – £20m (market value £7m) With EPL regulations demanding that all deals above £1m meet “Fair Market Value” standards, these transfers raise questions about valuation discrepancies and the boundaries of APTs. From a governance and regulatory standpoint, the EPL’s ability to enforce fair market valuations in such deals is crucial in ensuring financial transparency and sustainability. While legal, Boehly’s strategy reflects the increasingly complex intersection of football governance, financial regulation, and corporate law under the EPL’s framework. The future of financial compliance in the EPL will likely involve even greater scrutiny of such transactions as clubs seek to balance competitive ambition with fiscal responsibility. #FootballFinance #EPL #FairPlay #Governance #FinancialRegulation

60

5 Comments